Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
Hayrettin Karaman, the 90-year-old Islamic jurist and chief fatwa (religious edict) giver for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a prominent ideologue for the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood, has said Turkey must pursue nuclear capabilities to counter Israel and establish deterrence against its adversaries.
In an article published September 8 in the Islamist Yeni Şafak daily, Karaman argued that Turkey’s current efforts are insufficient to stop Israel. He urged that “either the Islamic world must unite and collaborate with China and Russia, or Turkey must move forward by acquiring nuclear warheads and weapons.”
Karaman praised the Erdogan government’s efforts in advancing the defense industry and enhancing Turkey’s conventional warfare capabilities. However, he criticized the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to which Turkey is a signatory, arguing that the nuclear powers recognized under the treaty are colonialists seeking to maintain their exploitation through military force.
“If the countries they exploit acquire nuclear weapons, they will no longer be able to continue their oppression,” he added.
Recalling his 1995 trip to Israel and Palestine, Karaman said he personally observed how Jews envision a “Greater Israel,” known as the “promised land” (Arz-ı Mev’ud). He claimed that Jews are advancing toward this goal with support from the West.
The so-called “promised land” conspiracy allegedly extends to parts of southeastern Turkey. President Erdogan has echoed this claim in public speeches, alleging that Israel seeks to annex Turkish territory. Erdogan has also praised Hamas, saying the group defends not only the rights of Palestinians but also those of Turks.
In a speech delivered at a conference in his palace in Ankara on November 10, 2023, President Erdogan publicly raised this conspiracy for the first time.
“A catastrophe, a crime against humanity, is unfolding in front of the entire world. Those [Israelis] seizing the lands the Palestinian people have lived in for thousands of years have created a state [in Israel] with a controversial history of only 75 years. Not content with this, they are also threatening to use nuclear weapons, including our country in their promised land and testing our patience with their technological superiority and oppression,” he said.
Erdogan reiterated this claim in a broader context on November 11, 2023 during a speech in Riyadh at the extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit, which was convened to address the Israeli-Hamas conflict. “The expression of unfounded notions about promised lands that pose a threat to the territorial integrity of many countries in the region, including Turkey, is the most explicit evidence of this [aggression],” he stated.
Turkey has openly aligned itself with Hamas, an organization designated as a terrorist group by the US and the EU. The country has hosted senior Hamas figures, offering them logistical support, funding and, in some cases, even citizenship. President Erdogan has defended Hamas’s armed fighters, describing them as mujahideen fighting to liberate their lands.
Karaman’s advocacy for Turkey to acquire nuclear weapons carries significant weight, particularly due to his influence among Islamists in the country, including those in key positions within the government-backed defense industry. He is often regarded as the Turkish equivalent of the late Imam Yousef Qaradawi — the Egyptian cleric and spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who famously endorsed suicide bombings.
This is not the first time Karaman has advocated developing nuclear weapons. In an article for the same newspaper on March 16, 2017, he argued, “We need to consider producing these weapons [weapons of mass destruction] ourselves, rather than purchasing them, without delay and regardless of Western warnings and obstacles.”
Karaman is a proponent of portraying Erdogan as the leader of all Muslims, or caliph, and advocates for absolute obedience to the Erdogan regime among Muslims. Many of Erdogan’s followers have come to view him as the anticipated savior and the sole Muslim leader capable of standing up to the West, crusaders and Israel.
In his article for Yeni Şafak on December 25, 2015, Karaman argued that “the presidential system is like the Islamic caliphate system in which the people elect the president [caliph/ruler], then all pledge allegiance [biyat] to him.” He claimed that opposing Erdogan is contrary to Islam and asserted that the Muslim faith mandates believers to support him in elections.
On the eve of the 2017 constitutional referendum that transitioned Turkey from a parliamentary system to an imperial presidency with no checks and balances, Karaman wrote that voting “yes” to approve the new system was a religious obligation (farz) for all Muslims.
One of Karaman’s most provocative statements as a cleric was made when he appeared to condone extrajudicial actions against Erdogan’s political rivals. In a column published on December 19, 2013 he wrote that “… damage to an individual, region, or group is tolerated to prevent harm to the public or ummah. I urge those in politics with common sense and a good heart to remember this fundamental rule and as an example to honor the memory of the martyr Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu with prayers.”
This article was particularly shocking given the context of Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu’s death. A leading nationalist opposition figure, Yazıcıoğlu was killed in a controversial helicopter crash in 2009. There is a widely held belief that his death was the result of a covert operation by elements within the Turkish security establishment, with allegations that Erdogan himself may have approved it.
The radical cleric also endorsed torture and ill-treatment in Turkey in an article published on February 2, 2017. In this piece he argued that “no punishment can be rendered to soldiers who committed lesser crimes while they are fighting.” He was referring to widespread and credible allegations of torture, abuse and ill-treatment in detention centers and prisons following a July 15, 2016 coup attempt and defending the torturers.
His column coincided with reports from international watchdogs, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, which confirmed widespread abuse and torture during that period. Following Karaman’s recommendation, President Erdogan issued a decree granting blanket immunity to those involved in the torture and ill-treatment of detainees.
Karaman is a vocal supporter of the mass persecution in Turkey under the Erdogan regime that led to the dismissal of nearly 150,000 government employees without effective judicial or administrative oversight. The Gülen movement, inspired by US-based liberal Islamic thinker Fethullah Gülen, has been particularly targeted in the widespread crackdown by the Erdogan government.
According to official figures released on July 12, 2024, a total of 705,172 individuals affiliated with the Gülen movement have faced legal action, primarily through detention and arrest, since the July 2016 coup attempt. Among them, 125,456 were convicted on charges related to terrorism and/or the failed coup, which many consider to be fabricated.
The 2016 abortive putsch is widely believed to have been a false flag operation orchestrated by President Erdogan and his intelligence and military chiefs. This plot was used as a pretext to suspend fundamental rights and freedoms, launch mass purges, transition to a presidential system of governance and justify a Turkish military incursion into Syria.
When the Erdogan government faced difficulties with Middle Eastern and North African nations, Karaman directed his criticism at these countries as well. He labeled Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt the “Devil’s Triangle.”
Karaman worked closely with the Qatar-based International Association of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a Muslim Brotherhood organization, and served as a vice president in 2018. The IUMS is currently led by Sheikh Ali al-Qaradaghi, who has been residing in Turkey and enjoys VIP treatment from the Erdogan government.
